Friday, June 26, 2009

At risk is this once fabulous home with pergola gardens. (Photo courtesy of the Missouri Valley Collection) We did a post on this house and with some studied responses like Nate's, it's led us on an adventure of "architectology", just kidding, but seriously trying to get to the root of how this house came about, who designed it, who built it and for whom was it built. Simple enough but it has not turned out that way..."Stalking Louis Curtiss" perhaps the best resource on Curtiss, did not have this house in the book, the author Wilda Sandy, did note that a project for a residence was located at 39th St. and Manheim, KCMO. We have approached numerous people whom we consider scholars on Curtiss about this specific house, also Nate and Anne have kept us informed on their extensive efforts to hopefully prove that this was a Curtiss design. We look forward to having a thorough analysis posted soon, we still can't quite believe that Curtiss was not somehow involved in the design of the house.

Monday, June 22, 2009

We have spoke about Frank Lloyd Wright's textile block, Ennis House before when we discussed the Best Houses of all time in LA. Well it seems that the not-for-profit foundation that owns the house thinks that the restoration project before them is just too big and that the house, built in 1924, would be better served by a wealthy patron owner. The house has been listed for sale at a measly $15 million and it is estimated that it will only take another $5 or $6 million to get it into livable shape. This on top of the 6.5 million that the foundation has already put into repairs to the house. This irreplaceable house has been heavily damaged by earthquakes and soil erosion, not to mention the crumbling concrete blocks that were cast on site.

Scott is going to write some more about this house and in the mean time I will look for my photos from a visit to the house a few years ago.